Isimba Dam Contractor agrees to fix the Spillway.
By Solomon Lubambula
The China International Water and Electric Corporation, a contractor, has recommitted to rehabilitate the defects in the Isimba Hydropower after a high-profile engagement with the government that set out new terms and conditions.
This after the Artelia and Kkatt consults, (the government supervising engineer) identified defects in the Spillway which potentially compromised the integrity of the dam expected to produce 183 megawatts.
After an engagement that involved the ministry of Energy, the parliamentary committee on Natural resources, Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited, the Owner’s Engineer, the Contractor agreed on different steps of the spillway rehabilitation scheduled to start this month and ensure completion within a period of one year.
Herbert Ariko, the chairperson of the Parliamentary committee on Natural Resources that has been at the centre of evaluation of the Dam’s operational status and maintenance initiatives, says the concerned parties have agreed upon an action plan to fix the defects and ensure there is a new insurance cover to address any risks.
“The PMT is a critical step in identifying the cause of the defects and ensuring that we adopt the right solutions. The results of the 1:20 scale model test will inform us about the root cause of the spillway defects, while the 1:40 model test will determine whether the dam requires an additional spillway to meet discharge capacity requirements,” he said
According to the agreement, the exercise must be completed by 30 March 2025 to be followed by technical recommendations which will guide the repair process.
In addition to the PMT, a technical team has been tasked with assessing the measures required to create dry conditions for effective inspection and repairs.
“This is a matter of national interest; we expect all parties to strictly adhere to the agreed timelines so that we can resolve these defects once and for all,” Ariko added.
Meanwhile the ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the Contractor, Uganda Electricity Generation Company limited, the Insurance Regulatory Authority and the Owners Engineers will be meeting to discuss modalities of proving for a separate insurance cover for the Spillway Works and a maintenance cover.
Addressing journalists at Parliament the vice President China International Water and Electric Corporation Prof Wanga Yongtian noted that as contracted they are ready to urgently embark on rehabilitation.
Okaasai Opolot, the state minister for Energy assured Ugandans that with this agreed action plan the Isimba HydroPower dam will be completed within a period of year to address the growing demand for electricity, adding that the major costs for the repairs approximately 150 million dollars will be mobilised by the contractors.according to the minister costs could go down or up depending on what is on the ground.
These costs are to cover the Spillway, a comprehensive plan to complete the work and owing to insurance and implementation of the work plan.
“demand for electricity in the near future is going to surpass the supply so getting 183 megawatts off the supply chain will actually cause a disaster…that is why the focus is on having this asset repaired to its full capacity but without compromising the supply currently” Okaasai said.
